Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years and Thousands of Glowing Reviews

TripAdvisor may not have existed in February of 1913 when New York’s famed Grand Central Terminal first opened its doors to the public, but we were curious what today’s reviews may have sounded like in another era. So we rounded up a few recent reviews and imagined what they may have sounded like 100 (or so) years ago today. And, as a bonus, filtered some TripAdvisor traveler photos too. Check out these turn-of-the-century remarks that we think would have given it the impressive 4.5/5 rating it has from travelers today…

“A wonderful place to visit, great photo opportunities and you are only minutes away from any area of NYC.”

Might have sounded like…

“A delightfully wonderful place to visit indeed! If you have a horse-drawn carriage or are lucky enough to own an automobile…”

“I was lucky, As soon as I stepped out, we were treated with the motorcade of President Obama passing by. Perhaps you will get lucky too.”

Could have been…

“What a humdinger! As soon as I stepped out to take a gander, our eyes glimpsed newly elected President Wilson’s motor procession. We were tickled pink when he stopped and shook our hands.”

“We had to visit this famous terminal. It was a little too dark for me to take any photos, but my son-in-law is a pro and got good footage in spite of the low lighting.”

May have been more like…

“We’d have been crazy as a bed bug not to visit this new terminal. It was too dark for me to take a tintype, but my son-in-law is a professional and took a remarkable dry plate photograph in just under a minute in spite of the low lighting.”

Now it’s your turn. Comment and tell us what you think any of these review snippets may have sounded like when Grand Central Terminal opened on February 1, 1913:

“If you ever want to experience the ultimate train station in the US, this is the place.”

“There’s a ‘buzz’ in NY. People rushing, eating, shopping. Everything happening in this beautiful bustling train terminal. Look up, see the stars. That’s how you feel in GC Station!”

“I never thought a train station could be impressive, but Grand Central took my breath away. And that magical ceiling is like looking at a fantasy night sky!”

“What a place – a veritable City within a City! You can eat, drink, buy goods, get a shoe shine, haircut – you name it, you can do it in Grand Central. A definite iconic site to visit.”